Description

Running openclaw update --yes on systemd-based hosts removes the systemd service file during the update process but does not recreate it afterward. The gateway exits with "Gateway service disabled" and requires a manual openclaw gateway install + systemctl --user start openclaw-gateway.service to recover.

Environment

• OS: Debian (Hetzner VPS, 3 separate instances)
• Service manager: systemd (user-level)
• Update: 2026.3.7 → 2026.3.8
• Install method: npm install -g openclaw

Steps to Reproduce

1. Have a working OpenClaw instance running via systemctl --user on a Linux host
2. Run openclaw update --yes
3. Update completes successfully (npm package updated to new version)
4. Service is not restarted — output says "Gateway service disabled"
5. systemctl --user status openclaw-gateway.service shows "Unit not found"

Expected Behavior

After a successful update, the systemd service file should be regenerated and the gateway restarted automatically (same as launchd behavior on macOS, which works correctly).

Workaround

openclaw gateway install
systemctl --user start openclaw-gateway.service

Notes

• Tested on 3 separate Hetzner VPS instances — all exhibited the same behavior.
• macOS (launchd) update on the same version transition worked correctly — the gateway restarted automatically.
• The --no-restart flag exists but was NOT used; the default behavior should restart the service.